A Good Way to Go
by Don'tThinkTheyKnow
Summary: Leo Valdez was never one to ponder the way he'd die, but now that it's here, he figures this way is a pretty good way to go.


**A/N: I'm extremely rusty when it comes to these characters, but I hope you can still enjoy and review! **

They're all here. All nine of them. Leo guesses that's the best way to go.

Annabeth approaches him first, the barest trace of something akin to tears in her grey eyes. She awkwardly pats his hair down (he assumes that's as much of a display of affection she can manage) and looks down at him with an emotion he can't quite detect in her eyes.

He can't help but notice that her hand comes up with traces of blood. But, she either doesn't notice or doesn't care.

Annabeth smiles softly at him. "You did well, Repair Boy." She doesn't have to elaborate; he gets that she's proud of him. It's a nice feeling. She steps back after that, and Percy's there to perform their fist bump/handshake.

"Elysium, for sure," is the only comment he makes. Leo winks at him, and Percy chuckles before stepping back.

Piper and Jason come up next. Piper has tears in her kaleidoscope eyes, and Jason looks like he might get a little teary himself. Leo finds it incredibly fitting that they come up together. It's the three of them just like it used to be. This time, though, is the last time.

Piper holds his hand from one side of the bed, Jason holds her hand, and Leo can't do much but smile. Even if it is sad. Everyone else leaves the room, sensing that they'll need time, but five minutes later he can't see why.

Nobody's made a sound until Piper starts crying. She's full out sobbing. "Beauty Queen, you can't go all crying, whining Aphrodite on me right before I die." She only cries harder, and Jason does the best he can to console her.

"It should've been me," she mumbles quietly when she calms down, and then she holds up a hand to stop both his and Jason's protests. "It should've been me, Leo. You jumped in front of the swipe that was made for me. It should be me in the bed right now; not you."

Jason sighs and leans back onto the wall as Leo recalls the moment when he jumped in front her right when the giant welded a tree branch taller than him. The impact broke his ribs, came extremely close to fracturing his lungs, broke one arm and one leg, and ultimately placed him in this infirmary bed in New Rome.

He made it okay for the first two weeks or so, and after that a slow acting poison set in. Hence the horribly sappy final goodbyes commencing. Leo was really just happy to have made it a whole month after the fact, even though he never left New Rome or his wheelchair.

But, the end was here, as cliché and overused that saying was.

"Pipes…I couldn't not save you, so please don't feel bad that I did. Besides, I'm pretty sure you can _please _little Jase here more than I could if you had died. So, no regrets. Promise?" He holds his pinky finger out.

Piper sends him a wry smile accompanied by a slight blush and intertwines their pinkies before she shakes them. "I love you, Valdez," is what she mumbles, and Leo grins at her. "I know you do."

Jason says goodbye very differently. He doesn't walk over to the bed, but Leo gets why. He's not really sure he'd be able to either if the situation was flipped. But, he does take a few steps in his direction and salute him. It's a Roman salute, but Leo tries not to be bothered by that too much.

"I love you, too, bro. I'll see you in Elysium." And that's it. Leo can find it in himself to be satisfied with this though, as Jason has never been the emotional type.

The others walk in, followed by Piper of course, and Leo waves cheekily. Reyna, Nico, and Frank all approach him next, straight facing like the Romans they are. Only Frank looks like a pissed off teddy bear, but that's none of his business. "You fought well, Leo Valdez. I'm sure your father is proud, just as your friends are," Reyna says stoically, and Leo suspects she's more than sick of having to say goodbye to all of the demigods that have died, including him. Nico nods in agreement, his black sword hanging from his waist, and Leo feels the same chills he felt the first time they met.

Frank follows the procedure. "Yeah, um…you were a good fighter to have. We'll…_miss you_?" Leo laughs, his first real laugh in three days.

"I know you mean well, big guy."

Calypso is next, and she has a small smile on her face as she sits next to him on the bed. Out of the corner of his eye, Leo can see Percy wrap an arm around Annabeth as Calypso sits down.

"Young hero. You did it. You came back and retrieved me from the island, and for that I'm forever indebted to you. Perhaps I'll visit you in Elysium sometime soon. Thank you." And she kisses him on the cheek as she stands. Leo doesn't react, he barely moves seeing as Hazel is watching the whole encounter carefully.

Hazel, young, sweet Hazel is the last demigod to approach him, and Piper winks at him while herding the others out.

Leo watches everyone exit the room, and then watches Hazel walk over and sit on the bed with him. She rests her head on his not so scrawny anymore chest, being careful to avoid the bandages and gashes. He doesn't even realize she's crying until he feels the tears soaking through his shirt.

"It's not fair, Leo. I just met you and we were…we were _something_, and now you're leaving. It's not fair," she cries, and Leo hugs her as best he can, which results in her laying out on the bed, her head buried in his neck.

"I'm gonna miss you so much, Repair Boy. You have no idea."

Leo doesn't say anything. He just smells her hair and wraps his arms around her a little tighter. They sit there in silence until Hazel lifts her head up and wipes her face. "They'll be back in any second now," she offers, straightening her hair and wiping her face again. "But, Leo," she starts, and he's frozen when she leans closer to him.

When she kisses him, Leo's partially surprised that he doesn't set the bed on fire…until he remembers that he has no powers. When Hazel does back up, it's slowly, and almost tantalizing, and at the perfect time since as soon as she does, Piper bursts in, Frank not too far behind her.

Leo can't stop the face splitting grin that covers his face, and Hazel can't help but to giggle. Piper grins, Frank frowns, and everything is okay. Until Leo coughs and blood comes up.

He thinks everyone freezes. He can't be sure, though, because his vision is getting blurrier by the second and his lungs really, really hurt. He can feel Piper getting closer, but someone, presumably Jason, pulls her back and starts whispering to her. He can hear crying, definitely feminine, but he can't determine the source. The last thing he hears is someone bursting into the infirmary.

Somewhere in Elysium, Leo Valdez is rubbing his lips with a grin and thinking that it was a pretty good way to go.

**A/N: Finished. I'm very rusty, so I'm not really sure how good this is. It's also my first angsty piece ever, so please tell me how I did. I hope you guys enjoyed, and please review! **


End file.
